The Final Word (for now ... )

Hey, everybody. It's been a long time and a lot of strange shit has happened.

If you find yourself here for any reason, I want you to know that I appreciate you. Whoever you are, wherever you be, I love you.

This may be my last post as Basketbawful. (Better late than never, I hope.) Or it may not be.

If it ~is~ my last post, then I have one final thing to say.

Okay, a ~few~ final things to say.

Steve Nash deserved the MVP over Kobe because he put his team first.

Derrick Rose deserved the MVP over LeBron because he put his team first.

Steph Curry is the GOAT because and because he put his team first.

That's just how I feel.

Stats (I'm looking at you, Player Efficiency Rating) don't tell a player's story. Those are just nuts and bolts. Tools. They're like a wave in the ocean. Cool in their own way, but they aren't the ocean.

Championships don't tell a player's story, either. They tell the story of 12 players, several coaches, team personnel, owners, etc. etc. etc. all the way down to the guy running the credit card system for the stadium concessions (you know who you are, and I love you, too).

In the end, "basketball" is a story we all tell about a game we all share. The truth -- if you're the kind of person who's looking for it -- is in your own lived experience. That's it. That's the secret. If you were looking for one of those as well.

Again, and I'm stressing this: Steph Curry is the GOAT. To me. In my experience.

Steph, if you ever happen to see this, I want to thank you personally for inspiring me.

Thanks for reading, everybody. 

~Matthew Danielle Morningstar~

P.S. Firstly, let me say that a P.S. is not less important than the rest of the post. It's actually just as important -- more important, actually, because the above was made to entice you into reading this part, which is purely personal. 

Some thank you's are in order. Ahem.

Thank you to my best friend Mikey for creating Basketbawful with me. All the joy it brought me wouldn't have happened without your friendship and inspiration.

Thank you to my previous life partner, Amanda, who willingly and lovingly sacrificed a sizable chunk of our union to this little passion project of mine. I will be forever grateful.

And thank you a fuck ton to Chris and Dan, my faithful sidekicks on the adventure. I could not have managed the day-to-day writing without your logistical help and your friendship, which I am blessed to enjoy to this day.

I love you all so much. I hope you knew. And if you didn't, I hope you do now.